1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an installation for printing fabric pieces, having a fixed printing frame provided with a horizontal upper surface extending longitudinally between first and second terminal edges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the textile finishing process, printing is usually the last stage, conferring the highest degree of design on the fabric, with a high added value. A very wide range of processes and equipment are used for printing and extend from the completely artisanal ones to the most automated, using modern technologies. Generally speaking, it may be said that the more exclusive a design is and the better the fabric to be printed is, more artisanal is the process used.
From a quantitative point of view, the major portion of fabrics printed around the world are done on so-called flat machines, in the case of intermediate yardages and qualities, rotary block machines for high yardages and transfer machines for very high yardages, specific textile materials and a limited range of designs. Long table printing would be in the last place with regard to yardage printed at world level, although it would be at an intermediate level with regard to billing volume, because of its high added value.
Currently, the greater demand for quality products and exclusive designs from the users is a fact in all fields, particularly in dress and decoration. The machinery and equipment used in the production of these goods must be adapted to the new situation to attend to the demand while maintaining or increasing its profitability.
In spite of the increasing demand by the users for exclusive, top-quality printed fabrics, the growth of the long table printing segment is hindered by the technical limitations of the process which, in spite of increasing automation, has achieved relatively low productivity gradients. To this, there is to be added the large space occupied by this equipment, the length of which must be equal to the length of the piece it is wanted to print, normally from 45 to 85 meters, with serious repercussions in view of the growing cost of industrial floor space.